Epidemiologist: Only Serious Measures Can Stop Increased Spread of Covid

Masks virus (BETAPHOTO/DRAGAN GOJIC)

Epidemiologist Predrag Kon has said that the medical members of Serbia's Covid Crisis Headquarters have spent the last eight months lobbying for 24-hour Covid passes but that they can do no more than advocate.

"Still, all other decisions are made by this country's government," Kon told the Dec. 29 issue of the Politika daily. Asked about the fact that the Omicron variant has arrived in Serbia, Kon stated that there has been an increase in newly-infected over the past three days -- a change that cannot be prevented "unless serious measures are put in place."

"We will see increased numbers of [newly] infected following the New Year's and Christmas holidays, but particularly in the second half of January. Many won't report to doctors [immediately] because they avoid doing so over the holidays," Kon said, adding that a daily count of 5,000 newly-infected would not be surprising.

Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, Serbian minister of labor, employment, veteran and social affairs, announced late on Dec. 28 that all current epidemic measures would remain in effect for the time being.

"This pertains to general measures, such as wearing [facial] masks indoors, [maintaining] distance and vaccination," Kisic Tepavcevic said, adding that so far 58.2 percent of Serbia's population has received a vaccine.

The minister further stated that a full lockdown of Serbia is not an option. "Lockdown measures were effective when we didn't have a vaccine. We cannot act now as we did at the onset of the epidemic," she concluded.